You Can’t Exercise Your Way Out of a Poor Diet:

It’s hard to believe the end of the year is upon us, but here we are in the month of December surrounded by holiday decorations and an assortment of celebratory meals.  Holidays aside, the end of the year also means New Years Resolutions are just around the corner, and this year we want you to knock yours out of the park.

Every January gyms become packed with a new “get fit” crowd as individuals decide this is the year they will finally lose the weight. While a few end up making the change stick, for the majority this new lease on life only lasts a few weeks.  This occurs for a multitude of reasons, but the one that I hear in my office the most is:

“I just couldn’t keep up with it.”

I understand that life gets busy, but that isn’t the actual root of the problem.  The real issue is that when a health goal is set all efforts in achievement of that goal often focus on the wrong area.

Let’s take a weight-loss scenario.  I decide this year I want to lose 30 lbs so I go and sign up for a gym membership. While exercise is a good thing, I’ve actually already set myself up to fail because I’ve overlooked why I gained 30 lbs in the first place.  Was it truly just lack of exercise? Most likely not.

My lifestyle, diet, sleeping habits, and a whole host of other factors directly contribute to why my body runs the way it does.  In other words, if I want a change in outcome I can’t just tack on a solution and call the problem fixed.

Instead I need to “change the soil” so I can in turn change my outcome.  This is much easier said than done, but it can be done!  If you have a health goal start by looking at your health foundation. Ask yourself what can you change without lifting a finger.

Maybe it’s switching soda out for carbonated water, or falling asleep listening to music instead of basking in the glow of a television.  It’s the sum of these small changes that results in giving someone the ability to make a big change.

Once the foundation is setup for success, introducing new elements to your equation can actually have the intended results.  The most sturdy homes and buildings are alway built on a good foundation, so don’t try to exercise your way out of a poor diet.